PS Audio DirectStream DAC

[Vhiner]

Originally Posted by Ricjor1

Of course all comments regarding "AUDIO" should be taken with a billion grains of salt. Let me address the hyperbole comment...there is a thread on another forum titled: Bricasti M1 DAC vs PS Audio Direct Stream DAC. Before I talk about the thread, I must tell you my dealer/friend who sells PS Audio and Bricasti told me when I purchased the DSD that he felt the M1 was significantly better. I decided to purchase the DSD, because I didn't want to spend the extra money. When I read the the aforementioned thread, I responded the same way everyone is responding to me on here. I sent the guy a private email and told him that he was trashing the DSD. In essence I was telling him that he was using hyperbole. As a matter of fact I told him that people like him is what's wrong with high-end audio...insert foot in mouth! After approximately 30 hours of playing the M1 I sent him an email apologizing. In addition, I apologized publicly in the forum. I've owned Wilson Audio Sophia 2s, 3s, and Sasha 1s. Every time someone criticized them I was offended and thought they were using hyperbole. The fact is all of us have different preferences. I understand that some will prefer the DSD over the M1, but "to my ears" they are voiced so differently that I stand by my statement. As a matter of fact, they are so different you my prefer the DSD, but that doesn't invalidate my preference. The M1 has completed my system and I'm done until I'm ready to upgrade within the Aerial speaker line-up.

I think you might have misunderstood my intention: I am happy you have found the DAC for you. I've been in this hobby too long to be threatened by other folks' opinions. I have no particular loyalty to the DAC I own nor to any I have heard. All I am saying is that I have not recently heard one high end DAC "obliterate" another. One day, perhaps, but not yet.

[doggiehowser]

I think you must have misunderstood me.

I said I wouldn't pay that much for the DAC when it uses an off the shelf chip not that it doesn't sound good.

[Vhiner]

So, I heard the Bricasti this afternoon through a $50k Mark
Levinson/Revel Salon 2 system. The competing DAC was the Marantz RA-11s and comes in at about a third of the price. The Bricasti was clearly preferred by everyone present...even to the owner of the Marantz. That said, everyone thought the Marantz did well enough not to be embarrassed. In fact, a few of us preferred how some brass instruments were presented by the Marantz. I would be very happy with the Bricasti based upon the natural but detailed presentation I heard. Would I like prefer it over my own DAC? I'd have to hear it in my own system of course. Notice I have not used the word "best" or "better" here. At this level, I happen to believe it's more about personal preference and bang for buck.

[Ricjor1]

Vhiner,

I would never say the Bricasti M1 or any component is the best; however some components are better than others. You're not considering the context in which I use my DAC. I wanted a DAC that could serve as a preamp/DAC without degrading the sound. I went from a PS Audio Perfectwave DAC II to the DSD. I tried the Perfectwave DAC II direct to my amp and it was horrible...I had a Parasound JC2 at the time. When I received the DSD I tried it direct and I thought it was good enough and I sold the JC2. So if you compare the Perfectwave DAC II to the DSD with the preamp inserted, the DSD was the better DAC. If you compared them connected directly to an amp there is a night and day difference. So, in the context of my system where the DAC serves as a preamp, there is a significant difference between the DSD and M1. Now to the specifics: bass far superior, tonality far superior, more air around instruments, it took around 36 hours, but the soundstage is better, overall smoothness and musicality no contest. As far as value, to me the Bricasti offers great value because I don't need a preamp.

[Vhiner]

Originally Posted by Ricjor1

Vhiner, I would never say the Bricasti M1 or any component is the best; however some components are better than others. You're not considering the context in which I use my DAC. I wanted a DAC that could serve as a preamp/DAC without degrading the sound. I went from a PS Audio Perfectwave DAC II to the DSD. I tried the Perfectwave DAC II direct to my amp and it was horrible...I had a Parasound JC2 at the time. When I received the DSD I tried it direct and I thought it was good enough and I sold the JC2. So if you compare the Perfectwave DAC II to the DSD with the preamp inserted, the DSD was the better DAC. If you compared them connected directly to an amp there is a night and day difference. So, in the context of my system where the DAC serves as a preamp, there is a significant difference between the DSD and M1. Now to the specifics: bass far superior, tonality far superior, more air around instruments, it took around 36 hours, but the soundstage is better, overall smoothness and musicality no contest. As far as value, to me the Bricasti offers great value because I don't need a preamp.

Makes perfect sense. And let me stress, I really liked the Bricasti. It sounds like a top flight DAC to my ears.

[Ricjor1]

If I had your preamp I would have kept the DSD.

[Vhiner]

I may get the chance to hear the Bricasti in my system later in the year and I am looking forward to it.

[doggiehowser]

Just got word the Yale OS is out now on beta test.

You can find the link in the PS Audio forum.
http://www.psaudio.com/wp-content/up...-1-FMC-125.zip
Gonna test mine in a bit.

Supposedly lowers the noise floor yet again and also removes an edginess from Pikes.

[RLF]

Look forward to trying out Yale. On my system, PP sounds best of all the FWs released so far. It's nice to have different FW releases to be able to go back and forth to get the most out of our particular setup.

I'll be getting new speakers soon so once they are broken-in I'll see how Yale compares to PP.

[Vhiner]

Spent the night listening to Yale. It's a keeper. The lowered noise floor uncovers micro-details in a very natural, non-hifi way and the mid-range heft is to die for. I just don't see how DACs that cannot be seriously upgraded on the fly like this can possibly hope to compete. The staunchest vinyl lover I know heard it tonight and said it's the best digital he's ever heard.

Ted Smith is an MIT-trained software designer with serious musical taste. His work really demonstrates what can happen when someone allows his heart, ears, brains and balls to work in harmony. The result sounds and looks like magic to regular folks like me. In the past, I've purchased entirely new versions of equipment for this kind of performance improvement. Yale's list price: $0.